Showing Vulnerability
by SocratesOfAthens
Summary: Annabeth POV. Can she trust Jason? Friendship fic about vulnerability. Set right before the Mark of Athena. Short oneshot I wrote on my phone in the car.


Showing Vulnerability

ANNABETH POV

I was standing on the deck of the Argo II, leaning on the railing, looking down at the land below me. Jason came up to me and did the same. I was feeling apprehensive, for numerous reasons. Firstly, I was worried about my impending meeting with Percy. I was nervous about the quest to defeat Gaea. I also wasn't sure I could trust the demigod standing next to me, Jason. He seemed too guarded, too perfect, too Roman for me to have a proper friendship with him.

I looked at him, he was a little paler than normal, and he gripped the railing so tight his knuckles were turning white, he was nervous. "Something bothering you?" I asked him. He responded to my question with another question, "Can you tell me about Percy? Like, could you tell me about the first time you met him?" It was an odd request, but I obliged him.

"I remember the first time I saw Percy, a pale, scrawny, short kid with messy raven hair covering his eyes, dragging an unconscious Grover by the horns, tears streaming down his face. He was wet, covered in mud, and bleeding, as he took shaky steps towards the Big House, collapsing on its front porch. As he lay barely conscious in front of me, I looked at him with an expression that was a mixture of disdain and hope." I began.

"'He's the one, he must be!' I said to Chiron and Mr. D.

Chiron replied, 'Silence Annabeth. He is still conscious.'

He looked unimpressive, but there was something different about him from all the other campers. I now understand what was different about him, it was this fierce determination and willpower, rolling off him in waves, even at the young age of twelve.

His jaw was set, he was scowling, and I brushed the hair out of his face to see beautiful sea green orbs, 'Grover… Mom…. not dead.. can't be.' He muttered. His eyes closed as he slipped into unconsciousness." I spoke wistfully, wishing to be in his warm embrace one more time.

Jason, listening intently to the story, said, "That it? What about the Minotaur? I remember the Stoll's telling me something about him killing a Minotaur."

"He did. Bare handed too, but I didn't know about it yet." I replied, a smile tugging at my lips seeing Jason's shocked reaction. I continued telling him about my first meeting with Percy.

"I remember spending the next couple of days in the infirmary, 'nursing him back to health'." I said, making air quotes with my fingers.

"Really, I was just waiting for him to wake up, so I could interrogate him on all of his sleep talk about the Winter Solstice meeting without Chiron telling me to stop badgering him. It was all in vain though, as he chose to wake up in one of the few shifts where I was not caring for him.

Later, when he and Chiron were walking up to me, I noticed him clutching a Minotaur horn in his hand. My eyes widened, and I tried to hide my surprise, and when Chiron introduced us to each other, I pretended as if I didn't think much of the horn, simply telling him 'You drool when you sleep.' Then I ran off.

That was the beginning of Percy and me. Since that day, we've been on quests, saved each other's lives more times than we can count, we saved the world even, and after all that, he finally got up the courage to ask me out." I smiled at that.

"How long did you guys go out for?"

"About six months, and then one morning, I went over to his cabin, and he was just gone. That night I had a dream from Hera telling me he was at the Wilderness School, where we found you instead." I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice, but I don't think I did a very good job of it.

Jason didn't meet my eyes. There was an awkward silence, and I was just about to swallow my pride and apologize for being rude, but he spoke first. "I didn't ask to be here. I didn't ask for any of this." He stared out into the horizon. He was about to continue, but I cut him off.

"Jason, I didn't mean to sound like you were not wanted here, it's just" I paused, trying to find the right words, "Without Percy, I feel incomplete, and seeing you with Piper, who, no offence, you haven't known that long, it makes me worry. It makes me worry that Percy moved on like you did." I shook my head, inwardly cursing myself for sounding like a lovesick daughter of Aphrodite. I decided that a topic change was in order. "So Jason," I spoke, trying to sound casual. "Are you nervous about meeting the Romans?"

"Not any more than you are about meeting a certain son of Neptune."

"Poseidon." I corrected.

"Do you think we'll get along, Percy and me?" He asked. I didn't know how to tell him this, but I really did not think they would get along. Percy doesn't follow the rules, is a trouble maker, energetic, and a sarcastic sweetheart. Jason was a rule following, law abiding, calm and stoic leader. But telling Jason any of this wouldn't do any good, so I plastered a fake smile on my face and told him, "You guys will be great friends." He bought it, and I could see him visibly relax, and loosen his grip on the railing.

"You should do this more." I said to him.

"What?" He responded, a confused expression on his face.

"Show vulnerability, it makes you seem more human and approachable." I said, and to my surprise he laughed.

"The unapproachable daughter of Athena telling _me_ to be more approachable." I laughed as well.

Another silence ensued, but this time, it was a comfortable sort of quiet.

"Annabeth?" He said.

"Yeah Jason?"

"I might not know Percy Jackson, but I know he'd have to be a fool to ever forget about you." He gave me a hug. It was weird, here was Jason, a person I did not know well at all, comforting me about a guy he never met. I wasn't sure quite what to do, which I hated, I was a daughter of Athena after all. I hugged back.

I heard Leo wolf whistle before loudly exclaiming "Beauty Queen would not be happy to see this."

I rolled my eyes, and Jason let go of me. "What's up Leo?"

"The sky." I glared at him, and he stiffened, I found it quite amusing that I could scare him without a word. Maybe Jason was right to point out that I was giving advice about being approachable. Leo continued, "I just thought I'd warn you that we'll be at Camp Jupiter in 10 minutes." I nodded, and Jason and Leo left to go find Piper and bring her, then we would all stand at the deck together to greet the Romans.

I was still worried about the war against Gaea, but I was a little less nervous about meeting Seaweed Brain. Mostly though, I felt relieved that I could trust Jason. Through our short conversation, I realized that his stoic guarded manner was all a façade to make sure he could be an effective leader, and not show vulnerability. Jason and I might not be great friends, but I knew now, that I could trust him.

-LINEBREAK-

 **This was my first ever fanfiction and I wrote it in a car ride, with no plot or goal in mind. It just sort of happened. I guess this is a friendship fic of Annabeth x Jason. I don't really have a plot in mind so this is just a oneshot. Please leave me a review, give me ideas, tell me what to improve on, if you liked it, if you hated it, everything!**

 **I never really thought I'd write anything like this.**


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